Traci Hall

Knit shop owner Paislee Shaw continues her winning ways in Murder in a Scottish Garden, the second in Traci Hall's Scottish Shire cozy series set on Scotland's north coast. The mystery is the type to keep you scratching your head as you try to unravel all the knots and tangles. True to any rich family worth its salt, those on the Leery Estate hold themselves to different standards, and everyone on the property seems to have at least four different versions of the truth that they share with show more both Detective Inspector Mack Zeffer and the ever-inquisitive Paislee Shaw.

One of the things that I like about this series is that there's more going on than the mystery. There's the problem of Paislee's missing uncle, a mystery that her grandfather seems loathe to share and which ties into the strong parents-and-their-children theme of the book as does the lawsuit facing the school. There's also the problem of the eviction notice that she and the other shopkeepers have been served. If Paislee is forced to move from her prime location, it could have dire consequences for her business. If she loses Cashmere Crush, women won't have any place to gather for their Knit & Sip meetings or a place to buy yarn or order one of Paislee's custom-knit items.

And of course, like any good cozy, all this is held together by a fine cast of characters, in particular Paislee, her son Brody, and her grandfather. I like how Paislee's primary concern is her son, how she isn't looking for a man but thinks nothing of trying to play matchmaker for her single friends. There is no shortage of eligible men in Nairn. For example, there's the "high-end fashion model" handsome detective inspector who seems to be slowly learning to appreciate Paislee's sleuthing skills, and there's the local headmaster with the irresistible dimples. Well, they used to be irresistible until that lawsuit.

I find Paislee, her family, and her sleuthing to be good for what ails me, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if you did, too. If you're new to the series, I suggest that you begin with the first book, Murder in a Scottish Shire. You have some fun in store!

(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley) show less

A sweet twist on the Grinch scenario. Gordon bottles up his anger and resentment along with loneliness and pain to the point where his bitterness overshadows everything that has importance in his life. Holly is the optimist that turns his life upside down and pulls him kicking and screaming into the magical season of hope, charity and faith. Maybe even love. I am not normally a fan of stories with Grinch or Scrooge like characters but there was something so compelling about Gordon that I show more couldn't look away. Deck the Hearts exposes what an open heart and open mind can do for the soul and the difference one action can make in the lives of others. show less

I actually really liked how both Grace and Sawyer annoyed me at times due to their indecisiveness and how I would get frustrated at them especially Grace, the reason I like this is it makes them human and relatable. Both are at a turning point in their lives where what happens next will either cement their life going forward or everything will well fall apart. The attraction they have is undeniable however both try not to act on it as they are working together for the moment at least, but show more you just never know with these two! Mix in some great friends, a crazy family, supportive brothers (well most of them), cute dogs and and you get a great story with plenty of laughs, eyerolls as well as tension, hope and two people who deserve a happy ever after! show less

Paislee Shaw is at the Kirk, helping her best friend Lydia prepare for the latter's wedding. She's radiant in a silver wedding gown, and the only thing missing is the Luckenbooth brooch that her fiancé Corbin gave her. It is considered good luck in the Smythe family to wear it on one's wedding day, and she's frantic to find it.

But no amount of searching will recover it, and Lydia decides that if she wears another, a bit hidden by her flowers, no one might notice. Unfortunately, before Lydia show more can go down the aisle, a Smythe cousin emerges from the bathroom and promptly falls down the church stairs and dies. Now the family insists the wedding be postponed; and worse, some members make no bones about disliking Lydia.

To top things off, Paislee's grandfather is concerned for his missing son Craigh, and the police think he knows where Craigh is, even as Grandpa insists he hasn't seen him. Paislee has problems of her own, not the least of them her growing affection for Brody's principal and DI Zeffer.

Will anything get resolved? Will Lydia ever get married? Will the 'curse' be lifted? And most of all, will Paislee find a killer who might try to do her best friend in again...

This is the fourth book in the series and I have read them all. They have delighted me each one. In the first, I was a bit annoyed at the Scottish prose, but now I zipped through the book (I usually read a book a day) and felt almost like I was a local. It's an interesting twist that I was speaking Scottish in my head (ha).

The plot is so intriguing that I just could not put this book down. Having grown fond of the characters: Paislee, Grandpa, Brody, Lydia and even Wallace -- that I wanted them to have the best, and Lydia in this book seemed so sad and distraught for awhile that I actually felt like punching Corbin's stepmother. (You probably will, too).

There are many suspects as to whom the murderer is; the Smythe clan is tight, but there are many off them, and none of them are willing to give each other up. Paislee has her work cut out for her trying to figure it out...even if DI Payne is telling her to stay out of it each time she gives him another clue (no surprise there!) And Zeffer is on the hunt for someone so he's in and out of the story, but you see what is happening beneath the surface easily (and I won't tell you what).

The entire story is full of mystery, machinations, and secrets. It is well-told and has many twists, with the threads pulling in different directions. Yet when the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, we once again realize that no matter the intentions, you cannot understand the mind of a killer. I really loved this book and look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review. show less